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1885 · 134677 — Pietermaritzburg: P. Davis & Sons Printers 1885. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Pietermaritzburg P. Davis & Sons Printers 1885. Octavo xxiv chiefly indices 456 146 Postal Directory for the Colony 62 advertisements pages plus advertisements printed on the endpapers. Purple cloth extensively lettered in gilt and decorated in blind on both sides; rear cover affected by moisture buckling the board a little and staining the cloth and causing it to lift and crease; spine sunned and a little inkstained with a neat repair to the head; a few other minor signs of age and use; notwithstanding overall in very good condition internally excellent. The twenty-fourth number of the 'Natal Almanac and Register'. Provenance: the ownership signature 'Searcy' is written in ink at the head of the title page. We recognise it to be the hand of Alfred Searcy 1854-1925 customs officer parliamentary official and author. In 1882 he 'went to the Northern Territory as sub-collector to direct new customs arrangements. In recognition of his varied and excellent work he was promoted in 1888 and also became a justice of the peace. Within the tiny white community he was one of a handful of public servants striving to establish orderly administration over a vast area. In the 1880s especially there seemed to be a rosy future for many developmental schemes and Searcy was always an enthusiastic optimist. In 1890 his wife and family returned to Adelaide for health reasons' 'Australian Dictionary of Biography'. P. Davis & Sons, Printers hardcover